NORFOLK, VA--Old Dominion University announced its strongest men's soccer schedule ever, featuring three teams from last year's NCAA College Cup national semifinals and nine NCAA participants overall in Maryland, New Mexico, Creighton, VCU, Charlotte, Georgetown, Kentucky, Tulsa and UAB. Maryland, Creighton and Georgetown reached the national semifinals while New Mexico, Charlotte, Tulsa, Kentucky, and UAB are all in Conference USA.

"Our 2013 schedule is arguably the most competitive in the history of our program. If you include our preseason contests we will face nine 2012 NCAA Teams and three of the College Cup Final Four. Our out of conference schedule includes a rematch with Creighton at our Stihl Classic and contests against Maryland and VCU on the road. Our C-USA slate is unrelenting starting with a trip to C-USA 2012 Champions Tulsa and concluding with a trip to national power South Carolina. We will have to navigate our way through the conference as we will be seeing new venues and unfamiliar opponents. It is a very exciting prospect as we begin play in one of the premier men's soccer conferences in the country." - ODU Head Coach Alan Dawson

ODU opens the regular season in the VCU Soccer Tournament, Aug. 30 against High Point and Sept. 1 against the host Rams who advanced to the NCAA tournament last season.

The Monarchs regular season home opener will be Sept. 7 against the Tribe of William and Mary, then ODU will host its 38th annual Stihl Soccer Classic, Sept. 13 and 15 which will include Creighton, national semifinalist the last two years, Central Florida and William & Mary. ODU beat then No. 2 Creighton, 2-1 in Omaha last season.

The Monarchs Conference USA schedule will include nine contests, opening at Tulsa on Sept. 28th.The first C-USA home match will be on Friday, Oct. 4 against Kentucky. The Monarchs will also host C-USA rivals UAB on Oct. 12, Marshall on Oct. 23rd and New Mexico on Nov. 2. The remaining C-USA away contests will be at Charlotte, who played in the 2011 national championship game on Oct. 9, Florida International, who played in the 1996 national title match on Oct. 19, Florida Atlantic on Oct. 26 and South Carolina on Nov. 9. The C-USA tournament will be Nov. 13-17 at a site to be determined.

The Monarchs will open the 2013 fall season with three exhibition contests, two at home against NCAA National finalist Georgetown on Aug. 18, and Coastal Carolina on Aug. 21st and an away match at Duke on Aug. 23rd.

The Monarchs have competed in the NCAA Tournaments each of the last three years and nine of the last 11 (including two rounds of 16 appearances) under head coach Alan Dawson. ODU returns All-League selections in forward Tim Hopkinson, forward Gideon Asante and midfielder Ryan Condotta.